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Re: Why we might not be able to re-sign LaMarr Woodley

Originally Posted by papillon

It sucks that you could lose a player of his caliber without ever actually being able to bid for his services. Of course, the NFL being a socialist run cartel this is exactly what they want. The NFL does not want teams to keep more than a handful of their core group of players, wealth redistribution at its finest.

Pappy

You have an odd idea of what socialism is...

I want gay married couples to be able to protect their marijuana plants with guns.

Re: Why we might not be able to re-sign LaMarr Woodley

I think it's rediculous that the 30% rule only seems to apply to resigning players. It sucks that other teams can offer whatever they want. Does that mean that we should be able to pick up other teams good young players who are getting screwed?

Re: Why we might not be able to re-sign LaMarr Woodley

Pro Bowl linebacker LaMarr Woodley said his contract situation won't cause him to skip any offseason practices or hold out when training camp starts at the end of July.

"Things that you can't control you don't worry about," Woodley said Tuesday following practice.

Woodley, whose 13 1/2 sacks last season were tied for third in the NFL, is heading into the final year of his contract. The Steelers traditionally sign key players such as Woodley to long-term extensions before they get to the final year of their contract — and they still have time because their policy is to negotiate until the start of the regular season.

The uncertain labor situation, however, could complicate contract negotiations for the Steelers and other NFL teams.

The collective bargaining agreement expires at the end of this season, and the owners could lock out the players if a new deal isn't forged before next March. Under the current rules, Woodley would not become an unrestricted free agent for two more years.

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said he is not worried about Woodley's contract situation becoming a distraction.

"One of the attractive things about LaMarr Woodley is he is a football-first guy," Tomlin said. "He's committed to working for 2010, and that's our mentality. Like a lot of things, those (contract) questions will be answered in time."

» Troy Polamalu was notable by his absence from the Steelers' South Side practice facility Tuesday, but it should not have come as a surprise. The strong safety has missed most of the Steelers' voluntary offseason practices in prior years as he has opted to train in California.

Polamalu, who played in parts of just five games last season because of separate injuries to his left knee, did participate in minicamp practices a little less than three weeks ago. They are the only offseason practices that players are required to attend.

"I tend to focus on the guys who are here, and that's probably a good approach to have with voluntary offseason conditioning and work and so forth," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said when asked about Polamalu. "As a coach, you can be a miserable person worrying about the ones who aren't (here). You can have a productive day if you focus on the ones that are (here), and I tend to do that."

» Hines Ward did some light running yesterday as the veteran wide receiver is still recovering from a strained hamstring he sustained at the end of April.

"Hines is progressing well with the hamstring injury," Tomlin said. "He's running a little bit; he's getting treatment. We expect him to continue to get better and join us at some point."

»Outside linebacker Thaddeus Gibson is expected to miss most of the remainder of the Steelers' offseason practices because of a league rule that prohibits undergraduates from taking part in voluntary drills while still in class. Gibson, a fourth-round draft pick, is working toward his degree at Ohio State and is expected to graduate next month. Rookie defensive end Doug Worthington, who is also an Ohio State product, already has graduated and practiced yesterday.

Digits

1 — Career starts made by Dennis Dixon

49 — Career starts made by Byron Leftwich

50 — Career starts made by Charlie Batch

Quotable

"He's a rookie and we're in shorts." — Coach Mike Tomlin, when asked how running back Jonathan Dwyer has looked during offseason practices.

Re: Why we might not be able to re-sign LaMarr Woodley

Originally Posted by papillon

Of course, the NFL being a socialist run cartel this is exactly what they want. The NFL does not want teams to keep more than a handful of their core group of players, wealth redistribution at its finest.

Re: Why we might not be able to re-sign LaMarr Woodley

Linebacker LaMarr Woodley plans on being a regular at OTAs this spring, something he sees as an important step in preparing for the 2010 season.

“It’s great to be back here with the guys after the mini-camp and get a chance to see some of the rookies again and work toward a championship this year,” said Woodley. “It’s just back to football. I have been waiting to get back to this ever since the last game in Miami when I found out we weren’t in the playoffs. I have been itching to get back here. I still have a chip on my shoulder from not getting to the playoffs, losing those five games, losing the games we shouldn’t have. That still bothers me.”

One thing that Woodley isn’t let bother him is the fact that he is in the last year of his contract and the current uncertainty in the NFL labor situation could make things complicated

“You control the things you can control,” said Woodley. “Things that you can’t control - don’t worry about it. I am just worried about coming out here and playing with my team this year. I am not going to be skipping OTAs or anything like that. That sets me back, sets me back from helping the team get better or helping me out individually.”

Woodley would like nothing more than to have a contract in place before the season starts, but it isn’t something that is consuming his thoughts.

“It would be nice, but it’s not something on my mind every day that I am worried about,” said Woodley. “My thing is to come out here and get better, come out here and help my team win, get back to the playoffs and hopefully the Super Bowl.”

One thing Woodley has noticed early on in the offseason is the work that his teammates did to improve and to make sure they don’t finish the 2010 season with the same disappointment they did the year before finding themselves missing the playoffs.

“Guys did what they had to do individually as far as getting better, working out during the offseason,” said Woodley. “Now we come here as a team you can see guys really did a lot of work during the offseason getting better to help this team out.”